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The New Penelope Goddess

A black and white advertisement featuring an image of Junior Wells above an image of Joni Mitchell.

Image: Advertisement for concerts at The New Penelope by Junior Wells and Joni Mitchell. Flux One (McGill University student newspaper), March 15, 1968

 

Credit: ARCMTL collection. Interview was conducted in Montreal on February 26, 2021 with Pierre Huet by Louis Rastelli, Director of ARCMTL.
Duration: 0:31 min

Pierre Huet was a songwriter with the 1970s Montreal rock band Beau Dommage, author of the book En 67 tout était beau, and fan of The New Penelope. In his interview with Louis Rastelli, Director of ARCMTL, he talks about discovering Joni Mitchell, the “Goddess,” at The New Penelope. 

Here is the English translation of the original interview held in French.

Transcription:

Pierre Huet: You know Michel Rivard, the lead singer of Beau Dommage? OK, Michel, Michel, he’s still today completely in love with Joni. And, you know, he even wrote a song about her when she came to Place des Arts. And I’ve always made Michel jealous by telling him that I saw Joni Mitchell five years before that, in a club that was pretty much empty.

And for us, the Beau Dommage gang, among others, Joni is definitely a goddess! What else do you expect? So I’m very happy to be able to say that I saw her there.